Battlefield

It was hard to imagine what the scenery had looked like prior to the fighting. Now it was a waste land of chaos and destruction, as far as the eye could see. When taking a closer look, one could see trenches everywhere...with soldiers seemingly shoulder to shoulder... with exhausted looks upon their faces. Mud and water filled the bottoms of some of the trenches as the soldiers struggled to move...keeping their rifles up as they trudged ahead.The sounds of gunfire rang out everywhere. One could see dead and wounded soldiers by the hundreds as they lay where they had fallen. Large shells burst near the trenches. The soldiers who were still alive crouched...trying not to lose their courage a midst the horror unfolding before them. One can visualize the one in charge ordering the men out of the trenches. They then attempted to maneuver over uneven ground...barbwire...and dead soldiers...all while trying to not get shot themselves. Most were not successful. All seemed inadequately cared for as they wallowed in the dirt and mud. One could almost over hear some of the conversations between the soldiers...and feel what they felt. Some felt abandoned...although many thought they were fighting for freedom. Day after day they tried to keep going...even though most lived in terror...wondering if that day would be their last. Sleep had become a luxury as they shared the trenches with rats and lice...who were out to find a host to feed on. As the day wore on...great numbers of soldiers lay dead...their bodies unable to be retrieved. What an injustice! Yet the battle rages on...and on...and on.